Page 111 of Curvy Girl Summer

I smiled and closed the door.

After I shimmied on the dress, I took a step back and looked at myself in the small mirror in the room with me.

I love it.

It was the perfect birthday dress.

“You good?” Ahmad asked. “You’ve been quiet for a minute.”

“I’m so, so, soooooooo good,” I called out to him over the door. “So, what are your plans for the day? I should’ve asked earlier.”

“I’m not doing anything except finishing organizing my albums and getting my living room back in order. Tonight, I’m linking up with Leon.”

“Tell Leon I said what’s up.”

“I definitely won’t do that.”

“Why are you trying to stand in between what Leon and I have?”

He laughed.

I did one more spin before I opened the door to look at the dress in the big mirror.

The moment I walked out, all the amusement left him. He sat up straight, and his lips parted as he took me in. “Wow.”

“Right?!” I squealed.

“You look…” He gawked unhurriedly as if he were committing me to memory. “What’s this for?”

“My birthday!”

“That makes sense. You look absolutely beautiful.”

Beaming, I turned and watched the way the dress moved in the mirror. When I caught his eye in the reflection and I saw the way he was looking at me, my breathing hitched.

“That was made for you!” Charlotte cheered, yanking my attention away from Ahmad.

“I love it,” I gushed. “It’s even better than I was expecting.”

As Charlotte excitedly ran down information I needed to know, I snuck a glance at Ahmad, who was still staring at me. When he noticed me noticing him, he didn’t look away. He held my gaze and forced me to be the one who looked away first.

That was a little harder to shake off than his touch.

When we left the store, Ahmad insisted on carrying my dress for me.

His phone started ringing in his pocket.

“I’ll take the dress. You get your phone,” I instructed.

“You just watch where you’re going,” he said, grabbing me and pulling me into him.

“You’re so annoying,” I complained, remaining tucked in his arm as the group of teens made their way past us.

When his phone started ringing again, I disengaged myself from him so he could answer it.

“Yo, what’s up, Leon?” he answered.

I wiggled my eyebrows. “Tell him I said hey!”

---